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Gengetsu 240 mm semistainless gyuto

A while back, I had the opportunity to try out a 240 Gengetsu in white #2. That knife was pretty close to the perfect knife, IMO. The tip wasn't quite where I like it and white #2 is nice but the edge retention is just good. I just received the semistainless version and the tip is a touch better positioned and lo and behold, the cutting performance was very similar. So I'm writing an initial review.

...and my calipers just died. Well, it's thin behind the edge but it isn't the thinnest I've ever seen. It's a substantial knife and balances nearly 2" in front of the heel. It cuts everything but large, hard squash, etc. with ease and precision, not to mention excellent food release. It's a pretty stiff knife. The closest knife I've seen that gets pub around here is a Miz which runs a little longer. This one is stainless clad and the semi stainless is pretty unreactive. I had to "baste" it for a couple hours with fruit salad juices after making a 5 gal bucket of fruit salad in order to get some nice contrast going. Anyway, the OOTB edge was decent and really came alive with a couple of passes on my strop (leather 1 mcn diamond). I've cut quite a bit of material in the last couple of days and it is still shaving nicely. I'm impressed, at this point.

The bevels were a little uneven (at the heel, the left bevel is 1mm right bevel is a hair's width, for example). The spine and choil aren't really rounded-looking but they do not feel sharp. The finish on the knife has some very minor scratching that was not removed. I can't wait to sharpen it but I'm waiting to see how long the OOTB edge lasts with some light maintenance. The handle is comfortable and rustic and very light. I think I will rehandle it but I'll use it a bit more before I make that call.

I love this knife. I don't know if it is going to be my fave and I don't think it replaces what a "laser" can do well but it is an excellent, excellent knife as far as I can tell. Here are some pics after basting.

and some OOTB shots...
Oh, and the saya fits nicely. I think I will actually use this one.

Hahaha. I've been using it almost exclusively on poly and I'm starting to think about sharpening this baby. It seems to respond well to stropping and rodding, btw. It still shaves but I can tell the edge has lost a fair amount of aggression.